I hear that the major popular music acts are making more money from live performances than ever before. But, I also hear that many, including the biggest names are using technology like auto tune and backing tracks, and even miming in order to recreate the digital perfection of the studio sound that fans have downloaded. For many fans, this is what they want to experience. It is similar in classical music, where musicians are lauded for their ability to match a definite version of the piece they are playing, rather than creating their own interpretation.
Meeting the expectations of the audience, regardless of genre, is an important aspect of being a performer. If people get what they expect they are more likely to go home happy, and tell their friends about a great show.
Of course, I am generalising, but only to make the point that if live music is presented so that it is very much the same as listening to the recorded version at home, why bother going out?
We risk losing some important elements that make the live performance unique, not least the singular nature of being live, and the influence the audience has on the way in which the performance is delivered.
Live music should be different to the recorded version, because it should be a one-off experience that can never be repeated.
This is what will be happening when, One, is performed in various locations across the UK, with three performances in the north, at Manchester, Leeds and Lotherton Hall.
So, what is One? Well, One could be whatever you want it to be, because as audience members you will be playing a part in defining how One is performed.
As Jacob Thompson-Bell, the producer of One, and one of the featured composers tells me when we chat on the telephone, the audience and venue will have a direct impact on how the music, created by composers including, Claudia Molitor, Daniel Kidane, Shiva Feshareki, Michael Betteridge and Thompson- Bell, is performed.
Pianist Ben Gaunt, will use the instruments available at each venue to interpret the music of each composer in a way that reflects the surroundings and the mood of the audience. Performances of One will be illustrated with film, slides and animations by artists like Debbie Sharp.
Listening to Jacob describe One it becomes very clear that it is not possible to define One as a single entity, not just because of the different composers and artists involved, but because in each venue there will be two factors that have yet to be defined, the venue and the audience.
The idea is that each performance may start in the same place, but it will then evolve organically to become part of the environment in which it is being performed. One could be noisy, immersive, serious, rough, genteel, or even playful, it all depends on what is happening at the time.
At Lotherton Hall there will be an aspect of child’s play as part of the score will be interpreted through a figurative script produced by children. We will have to see how the performance of One at Seven Arts in Leeds plays out.
In a world where music is increasingly mass-produced and in its live form is often something that is done to us as audience members One offers the opportunity to reconnect with the music in a way that most of us will not have experienced before.
You can experience One at
- 01 September – International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Manchester
- 02 September – Lotherton Hall, West Yorkshire
- 08 September – Iklectik, London
- 09 September – Rose Hill, Brighton
- 15 September – Seven Arts, Leeds
ONE is created by composer and producer Jacob Thompson-Bell, supported using public funding from the National Lottery, through Arts Council England, and is part of the composer-curator programme from sound and music, the national charity for new music.
During the day Michael Millward is a human resources professional